The event was strongly backed by the Singapore government and the Public Utilities Board (PUB) and proved to be a great success. In all, more than 8,500 representatives from governments, utilities providers, businesses and academia attended.

A range of trenchless companies exhibited, including Kembla in partnership with their Singapore colleagues from Teacly. Other international trenchless companies present included Sprayroq, Hermes and CPT. The ASTT shared a stand with the ISTT with Dec Downey, Jeff Pace and Chris Bland all present.

Plenty of business was done at the event with governments, utilities providers and water companies signing 27 agreements totalling more than $S367 million ($A300 million). In addition, a water fund was launched to attract $S435 million ($A350 million) in investments in Asian water projects.

The global event for the water industry also saw governments and international organisations announcing significant initiatives to prioritise water investments and research. Singapore plans to set up an Institute of Water Policy to research water policy and governance in Asia. In addition, the Asian Development Bank President Haruhiko Kuroda unveiled a seven-point agenda for prioritising water investments in the Asia-Pacific, saying that the bank was committed to helping states in the region boost new water investments to improve water security. Malaysia’s AmInvestment Bank and Singapore water firm Konzen launched a water fund that hopes to pull in $S435 million ($A367 million) to invest in Asian water projects.

Among the business deals concluded Black & Veatch, a global engineering, construction and consulting company, clinched approximately $S46 million ($A40 million) worth of projects in the Singapore, Australian and Hong Kong water markets.

There were bilateral agreements with water authorities in other countries as well. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Singapore’s Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and its counterpart in the United Arab Emirates will see cooperation on water research and management, environmental protection and sustainable development. MoUs with two Bahraini government agencies will see PUB providing consultancy and training services for sewerage and sanitary systems in the Kingdom, and undertaking joint projects in water management. In India, PUB will work with the Water Supply and Sanitation Board in the state of Maharashtra to minimise water wastage and improve infrastructure in Indian cities and towns.

The inaugural Singapore International Water Week also featured policy and scientific components – the Water Leaders Summit, a gathering of government officials and industry leaders, and the Water Convention, a scientific conference. A highlight of the Water Week was the presentation of the first Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize to Dr Andrew Benedek, the Canadian researcher and technopreneur who pioneered the development of low-pressure membranes, which made it possible to derive drinking water from even highly-polluted sources, and at a lower cost.

The event will return in June next year.